Onyx reviews: The Waiting by Michael Connelly

Reviewed by Bev Vincent, 10/26/2024

For most detectives, losing their gun, badge and ID would be humiliating, but for Renée Ballard, it could be a career-ending incident. She's had enough run-ins with powerful people in the LAPD for it to be grounds for dismissal. So, instead of reporting the loss, she sets about attempting to retrieve the items by herself. She soon discovers that the theft, which occurs while she was surfing, is tied to a rash of thefts occurring to other surfers, who leave valuables in their vehicles while catching waves.

Ballard is working for the Open-Unsolved Unit, formerly led by retired detective Harry Bosch, who is undergoing cancer treatments. Her staff consists of volunteers, including retired cops and other specialists who concentrate on cold cases where it is possible that the culprit is still alive. Often, DNA evidence points to new suspects either directly, through a database match, or to a family of potential culprits through genealogy databases.

The hot case in The Waiting—the book's title is inspired by a Tom Petty song and relates to the fact that investigators often have to wait for forensics results to proceed—involves a series of rapes that ended with a murder. A genetic match leads to a potential suspect with political implications, which means the squad has to proceed cautiously. At the same time, Maddie Bosch, the squad's newest volunteer, thinks she's cracked a legendary Los Angeles cold case. Solving this one would be a boost to everyone's career, but there are political factions involved here, too, and Ballard isn't the kind of person who treads lightly through these complications.

Tracking down her stolen items leads Ballard from one criminal to another and another. She discovers someone is planning a terrorist plot, which means the FBI gets involved, but because of her precarious situation, she also brings in Harry Bosch to cover her back when dealing with these dangerous individuals. Adding to her emotional load is the fact that her mother is missing, a possible victim of the recent fires in Lahaina. Their relationship has been complicated and is one of the main topics of discussion with her therapist.

As much as it may pain long-time readers to find Bosch in a diminished role, Connelly is doing a fine job of passing the torch. Maddie seems to be following her father's trajectory in her rookie career, and Ballard is every bit the lone-wolf detective who's willing to work around the bureaucracy to get the job done, often at the risk of her career. Unlike Bosch, though, she's willing to dig deep into her psyche to figure out what issues are driving her.

And as far as plotting and storytelling go, The Waiting is rocket-fueled from the first page without letup, and the multiple, unrelated storylines are threaded together into a sophisticated and satisfying tapestry. Bosch may fading into the background, but Connelly is still at the top of his game.